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Student Council Report
Student Council Report
By Ashlynna Ng ( 13A01B )
Rafflesian Times
14
‘ This is amazing !’ ‘ Seeing this library , I already feel like studying !’ ‘ Now I know why Raffles people always do so well …’ With every exclamation , I could feel my face uncontrollably turning redder as I brought the two guests , councillors from another school attending 33rd Student Council Investiture , around our campus .
The pair marveled at the photo display of CCAs around Block J ; they compared our three-storey library , complete with entire shelves of past year papers , a photocopying room and think tanks , to the single storey one in their school . Their genuine wonderment at the things we have become accustomed to seeing everyday was a striking reminder of how lucky we are . I found myself repeatedly rushing to finish every introduction of each place with ‘… and we are very lucky to have these resources .’
Indeed , we Rafflesians are a privileged bunch . We enjoy two years or more of quality education and have an abundance of resources to tap into . Being a councillor meant that I was a privileged subset in an already advantaged group .
Councillors are equal to our fellow school mates , yet are privileged because we have the responsibility of organizing school-wide events and targeting the needs of the school community by introducing initiatives . We are granted resources such as funds , a spot in the calendar and the advice of teacher-mentors to fulfill this end , and it is our duty to put them to good use .
Throughout my council term , I have been repeatedly reminded how easy it is to forget how incredibly blessed we are . Many a time , councillors would complain about our ‘ limited funds ’— despite the fact that our budget for events is already many times that of other schools . Our demands and expectations are so high , because we habitually receive so much . We appear to carry around an ‘ invisible knapsack ’, a term coined by Dr Peggy McIntosh — a set of unearned resources that we carry around by virtue of our identity . More often than not , we are not aware of what these unearned resources are . There are many ‘ resources ’ that councillors possess , such as keys to the games room at the Hodge Lodge or rooms to store logistics and hold meetings — and at times we saw this as a right , rather than a privilege . Thankfully during our term , the student population kept the council grounded . If we made mistakes , or misused our privileges , our friends were there to remind us
If we made mistakes , or misused our privileges , our friends were there to remind us that the provision of these resources are for the sole purpose of better serving the school .